


You and I (we have a lil something)

by homiten



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe, Cliche, Come Eating, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Kid Fic, Light Praise Kink, Nipple Piercings, Nipple Play, Oral Sex, Piercings, Porn With Plot, Romance, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 20:44:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6722701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homiten/pseuds/homiten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tao decides that he's no longer willing to let his career take centre stage, and takes a break to get his priorities straight. A chance encounter leads him to his local library, where he gets another opportunity to chase his dreams for a second time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You and I (we have a lil something)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2016 round of taobei. Beta by ladderax!

Tao's late for his meeting. He hefts the bag higher on his shoulder and curses as he checks his watch. He already knows how Kyungsoo gets when he's forced to make small talk outside of conference rooms, so he does his best to hasten himself.

Olivia's fast asleep in the backseat. Her little body's completely tilted over and she's hugging her stuffed cat tightly, unmoving. Tao's in a hurry, but he's still gentle when he unlocks the rear passenger, unbuckling her seatbelt and hefting her bag up his shoulder once more.

She makes a small noise of discontent when he gets his hands on her and Tao tries to calm her with soft babble, voice and hands tender in equal measurements while he gathers her into his arms. Her arms wrap around his neck and he brushes her long hair out of her face.

They'd attempted pigtails before she left and even lopsided, Tao thinks they did a good job. Tao's forever grateful for Olivia's nanny's kind words and patient teaching while he struggles through most things, but the women in his life have always taken the time to answer his frantic, nonsensical questions. Even as he texted, _HELP?!?!?! HOW TO USE A SCRUNCHIE?!?!?!?!_ he knew she would be able to help him.

It's messy as fuck, but his little girl had been so happy, beaming with joy as she hugged him and admired herself in her giant hot pink vanity. She looks so cute and he's so proud of himself that he lets it carry him all the way across the parkade and towards the main elevator.

He nods at the guard, trading whispered banter and self-deprecating laughter until the door slides open and they go inside. The ride up is short, but Tao's pressed for time and Olivia's already fussy in his arms. He shifts her in his arms again and presses a kiss to her forehead when she whines a cranky "Daddy" muffled into his neck.

Once the doors open, it's a mad dash to Reception. He greets the receptionist, laughing when her head whips up to say hi causing her headset to slide into her face, and hurries on to Conference Room C. Kyungsoo's already there, unsurprising in itself, but if he's surprised to see Tao run in with Olivia, he doesn't show it.

Tao smiles and Kyungsoo frowns. He gathers two of the conference chairs together and lays Olivia down and gently as he can. He's not entirely certain it's safe, but he'll be sure to jump into action if it looks like she's about to fall. Dropping Olivia's bag onto the table, he takes his seat beside Kyungsoo and turns to face him.

Kyungsoo's eyebrows furrow and Tao smiles wider, amused, which makes Kyungsoo scowl harder. "I don't like tardiness, Zitao," Kyungsoo mumbles. He shuffles his papers in front of his face, intent on blocking out Tao's Most Charming Smile™. He settles his papers down, lips pulling tight, and Tao straightens to attention.

"I've made the necessary arrangements for your hiatus to go as smoothly as possible." Kyungsoo shifts in his seat, steeples his hands and regards Tao. Tao's been angling for time off for years now, has made his own preparations and has poured over his contract with his Kyungsoo and his lawyers to triple check that his label can't slap him with a lawsuit when he takes a hiatus.

Things were different when Olivia was a newborn. It was never easy to leave her with her nanny for long periods of time, but he’d done so before because he’d been forced to. He’d put so much into his career, and made enough sacrifices in order to have this much for himself; for them. It's even more important, he knows, because she's been through so much without him and now that he can afford to take the time off, he's going to do so. 

Tao tries his best to focus on what Kyungsoo's telling him about tying up last-minute promos--interviews and music shows for his last single off his most recent album, a song dedicated to Olivia that he hopes she will appreciate when she's a bit older--but his attention is torn.

He remains distracted, eyes flitting over to his daughter shifting in the chairs nearby, Kyungsoo's voice rolling and dipping as he explains that Tao still has about two weeks until he's free to do what he pleases.

"But I'll be able to do what I please," he smirks, tips his chair back and laces his fingers behind his head.

Kyungsoo frowns again and Tao's worried he's going to get wrinkles. "Within reason," he says, and then sits up straight when the sound of Olivia's breathing shifts from slow and peaceful to choking sobs as she wakes up forcefully. She calls for him, face turning baby tantrum red when the chairs start sliding. She's scared and in an unfamiliar place, too nervous to open her eyes and find him, but Tao hops up instantly and rushes to her side.

"Shh, Li Hua," he murmurs, gathering her up in his arms before she hurts herself. Kyungsoo looks concerned, smile tilted absently, something Tao's rarely seen directed towards himself. Kyungsoo has always had a range of expressions readily available for Tao's baby.

Olivia sniffles, red faced, and finally opens her eyes to look around. The conference room is familiar in the way that she's been here before but it's obviously not her home. She's pressed so close to Tao that he can barely understand her when she tries to talk to him.

The sound of Kyungsoo rolling in his chair is loud over the hum of the air conditioner and Olivia's head pops up as she regards him with recognition. She immediately starts talking to him, words tripping over each other in an excited mix of lingering baby babble and shy big girl words. 

They've been working with her on her speech, but she's still a baby and Tao is a bit unwilling to see her grow up too fast, even if her progression is slightly more than average three-year-old development.

"Daddy has four w..w.." she bites her lip, unsure, but Kyungsoo nods in understanding.

"Four weeks, right?" His smile is wide and unassuming when she nods her head in agreement. "Four whole weeks until Daddy and Olivia get to play all day!"

Olivia claps her hand in joy and bounces, pigtails swinging wildly, and Kyungsoo claps lightly along with her.

"You're so good with kids," Tao says kindly, and pretends not to see Kyungsoo stiffen in slight discomfort.

"It's a part of my job," Kyungsoo says simply, eyes going as wide as his smile as he plays with Olivia bouncing on Tao's lap. It's not his job at all, not really, and Tao's too nice to say anything about it. He joins in once he's sure Kyungsoo has nothing else to say to him, documents and the rest of his schedule forgotten while Kyungsoo plays peekaboo to the soundtrack of Olivia's childish laughter.  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

(Olivia's nanny had helped her make a clock. It's flimsy, made more out of glitter and large sequins than anything else. It has cardboard hands, and was decorated with hot pink pipe cleaners, glitter glue and finger paint.

Olivia had presented it to him one night after an overnight stay in the studio. She had practically thrown it at him in her haste, pulling her long hair out of her face and mouth with the kind of determined frustration small kids get before they learn to be embarrassed.

Tao'd been positively charmed. Squatting down until he was her height he had taken the clock and turned it over and over in his hands. Behind Olivia, Amy had been holding a large poster board. She and Olivia had decorated it with painted handprints and pictures of cats, a large drawing of what Tao had assumed was Olivia and Tao stood underneath a space that said "X days until Olivia and Daddy can play!"

Tao stared, shocked and slightly amused. "Huang Li Hua, did you do this for me?" he asked. Olivia shifted bashfully, smiling, unsure now that all of her father's attention had been focused on her.

She huffed. "Amy said," she began shakily, then again with more confidence, "Amy said you have to change the number every day. Like this!" Running over to the board, clumsily flipped the paper until numbers are released. "This many!" she'd proclaimed and Tao was proud as hell that not only had she been practising her numbers, but she'd sat still long enough to create something of that magnitude.

"Yes," he'd agreed. "That many. Did you say thank you to Amy?" Olivia shook her head no and Tao had stood up. Taking her hand he'd made sure that she was stable before they turned--kids were surprisingly wobbly--and, in their loudest inside voice said, "Thank you, Amy.")  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

Tao groans as he rolls over. His hand automatically reaches out to slap the alarm, but that's not what woke him up. He still hasn't broken the habit of waking up for work, even if he hasn't had to do that for weeks now.

He peers blearily in the semi-darkness of his room, confused at what's woken him up. He can see the sun shining brightly behind his curtains, and his room is silent save for his tired wheezing.

Suddenly, there's a giggle and that's all the warning he gets before he's got a lap full of squirming baby. Olivia twists and turns until she's moved her way from outside his duvet and into his arms.

He croaks, making her giggle again as she presses her face into his chest. He breathes in her baby scent, pulls her even closer as he tries to remember why it's a bad idea to just fall back asleep.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Olivia whines and, ah, there it is. He almost asks her where Amy is before he remembers that Amy is currently in the Dominican as a nice thank you for taking care of Olivia, all expenses paid by Tao in his ambition to do all of this himself.

That was clearly a mistake.

"No," he whines. "Daddy wants to sleep." His voice turns cajoling, but unfortunately Olivia's not buying what he's selling.

"Daddy," she whines. “Li Hua,” he whines back and he's struck with how similar they sound.

She huffs and crosses her arms petulantly. "It's time for Wiggles and eating and we have to go to the park!" She bounces on his chest, little head and bits of hair hitting his chin and making his teeth clack. A pause. "Daddy," she yells.

Tao groans. "What have I done," he mumbles into his pillow.

He rolls over and Olivia immediately crawls onto his back and starts to bounce up and down. "Horsey!"

"This is how I die," he groans. Thinks to himself that Kyungsoo will probably find him a few days from now face down in a plate of grilled chicken and glazed carrots, hair pulled into mini braids. He shudders.

It's enough to give him the will to live and the motivation to get him out of bed. He hauls Olivia up into his arms, ignoring her shrieking and flailing limbs as he makes his way out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. 

“Do you need to potty?” He asks and she shakes her head, no.

He lets her down at her kiddie table, watches as she gets settled into her booster seat and straps her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he heads over to the fridge. Today will be eggs and toast for him, oatmeal and a cup of milk for Olivia, and he grabs what he needs before he kicks the fridge door closed.

He'd made sure the kitchen was fully stocked before he'd gotten Amy to the airport. The guys from the security company were a bit hesitant to allow him out grocery shopping, but he was used to always having three or four guys trailing him at all times, it wasn't anything new.

Right now he knows they're out patrolling, protecting him and Olivia while she blows milky bubbles and makes farting noises while giggling to herself. At least one of them will be hiding in the bushes across from his kitchen window and the thought alone makes Tao laugh to himself.

He works quickly. The oatmeal's boiling away before he sets the bread in the toaster--whole wheat, obviously, since Kyungsoo knows where he lives and his spider sense would probably tingle if Tao did something crazy like have sourdough--and works quickly to get his eggs in the pan.

He sneaks a glance at Olivia, just making sure she's okay, before he rushes to grab his toast when it pops up and flips his omelette. He gets everything plated and takes a seat at Olivia's kiddy table. His knees are going to hate him by the time he has to get up, but it's worth it to suffer a bit if it means having Olivia associate eating with family time.

"No boys," she chides, scooping her oatmeal and smearing it around her mouth. "No boys," she says again, forcefully chewing on a raisin.

He blinks and frowns. "Hey... I'm not a boy," he says. She laughs at him, little hands slapping on the table. He says, "I'm Daddy" and this makes Olivia laugh, bits of oatmeal dribbling out of her mouth, He quickly wipes her face and then realizes that he doesn't have anything besides his shirt.

He grimaces in distaste but he's not too mad about it. "Right? I'm Daddy," he says and it sounds like a song when Olivia joins in happily.

"Daddy, Daddy," she sings and Tao rocks from side to side, enjoying the company and his toast. He's got so much planned for them today since the weather seems to be on his side and Olivia could use a day out.

Yesterday they had dressed up and had a tea party. He'd donned a blue wig and Olivia had draped him in her hot pink feather boa, while she had worn its canary yellow cousin. They'd taken lots of pictures and posted them on Instagram: _#bestie #nofilter_. The picture of him sipping tea while hunched over Olivia's kiddie table had gotten three hundred likes in about a half hour and Kyungsoo had texted him, _stop pimping your kid for likes_ , but Tao had seen his Insta handle as one of the earlier likes.

Today he plans on a park outing. He'd asked one of the security guys to get a picnic blanket and Kevin had come back, shit eating grin firmly in place as he presented Tao with the puke green flannel.

He'd stayed up after Olivia had gone to bed to make the snacks and sandwiches, dug the cooler out of the basement behind the box of baby pictures that hadn't made it upstairs to be displayed. There was a tonne of stuff Tao hadn't had time for in the past, but at that particular moment, he'd promised himself to bring them upstairs and sort through them all with Olivia.

Now, armed with an oversized, disgustingly coloured picnic blanket, a squirming preschooler, and a giant picnic basket, Tao squares his shoulders and marches across the grass. The park's busy. Tao's gotta find a spot in the shade so that Olivia doesn't get harmed by the sun.

He spots a giant tree a bit out of the way, relatively unclaimed by bodies, and jogs to make up the distance. He sets Olivia down and gets the blanket laid out, basket placed strategically in his sight and doing double duty holding the blanket down. Olivia plops down immediately once he gives the okay.

Her fingers are already out and she's begging for a juice box and Tao thinks yes, this must be his child because she's got little Marc Jacobs sunglasses on and is looking at him like he's too slow to feed her properly.

"Please," he chides, holding the sandwich out of her reach. She pouts and then bats her eyelashes at him.

"Please," she sings and Tao's so charmed. He hands her half of the sandwich and places the other half on a torn piece of paper towel nearby for her to grab if she's still hungry. He digs out two juice boxes, one for her and one for him, and then starts working on his own sandwich.

Tao slathers them in sunscreen before they get down to business. They eat and people watch for a bit, relaxing in the sun while the screams of little kids float all around them. Eventually they get up to find the playground and Tao pushes Olivia in the swings to her absolute delight.

He spots Kevin sitting at a nearby bench, conspicuously keeping watch for any potential threats, and a guy in a car inconspicuously snapping pictures of them.

"Time to go,” he mumbles to himself and then louder to Olivia, reassuring her that they will come back soon, but hurrying back to pack up their stuff. Olivia begs for another juice box and Tao relents once he's gotten her secured in her car seat. "Don't make a mess," he warns and she solemnly pinky swears on her life.

He slides into the driver's seat, and after double checking in the rearview mirror once more that Olivia's fine, pulls out his phone to quickly check his messages. _Why are you on TMZ????_ Tao can feel Kyungsoo's disapproval from his seat. _Ahhhh my kid's so cute~!_ he fires back and pulls out of the parking lot.

Olivia's bouncing in her seat, sugar high and excitement fuelling her good mood. She should be going down for a nap soon, but he wants to get so much out of their day together: that’s his approach for this entire vacation. His phone's buzzing angrily on his passenger seat and he laughs when he sees Kyungsoo's name flashing across the screen.

"Can’t hurt me if you can't catch me," he hums and indicates to turn onto the highway. He's got vague plans to bring Olivia to their local library. Thoroughly vetted by his head of security, it's also been recommended to him numerous times by his mommy friends.

He pulls into the parking lot nervously. He already knows that his detail is on him at all times, but he always gets antsy when he takes Olivia out in public. He finds a spot and kills the engine quickly. Scanning around he takes a moment to find at least one of his bodyguards before he gets out of his car.

Logically he knows there won't be a problem, but shit's happened before that he doesn't want repeated, so he's cautious enough to be paranoid. Once he spots Kevin, he unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out of the car. Olivia's done her juice box, so he helps her out carefully, making sure to grab the empty box before shutting the door.

Even if it costs them time, he'll always take the chance to teach her life lessons, so he waits patiently while she hops over to the recycle bin, little arms pulling back to chuck the empty container into the basket. She prances back over to where he's standing, jumping into his arms when he bends down to pick her up.

"Where are we going now?" he asks, brushing her hair out of her face and removing her sunglasses.

"Books," she replies. He helps her sound out the words slowly. "Library," she repeats, tongue tripping over the letters but still putting in a good effort, and he gives her a little high five when she holds out her hand.

The library is quiet when they enter. The first floor seems to be the common area, the layout as standard and familiar as he remembers of his own forays into libraries. It's fairly modern and decorated nicely. He spies an info desk nearby and, after asking a few pointed questions around Olivia's impatient shuffling, gets directed to a large set of glass doors deep inside the building.

He's not expecting much, a few bookshelves here and there and maybe a few kids reading quietly with their parents, but he's shocked once he gets a good look inside the room. It's big, probably an entire wing of the library and a significant portion of the common room's floor space.

There's a huge tree that runs floor to ceiling in the centre of the room, branches spread out and raised and tipped up like they're trying to reach through the thick glass of one of the largest skylights Tao's ever seen outside of a mall.

A large room encircles the tree, suspended by thick metal framing and seems to be connected by two large drawbridges and a giant staircase slightly off to the corner. At the trunk, a soft looking mound of something covers where the roots of the tree would be, giving the appearance of a grassy knoll.

The bookshelves are spread out in a semicircle, layout slightly off centre and wrapping around the perimeter of the room. There are books and tablets and beanbags and kiddy chairs, kids and parents, and it's slightly noisy, but not obnoxious, and Tao's appreciative regard gives way to desperation when he realizes that Olivia's been squirming to be let down and is about to pitch herself out of his hands.

He sets her down and not a second too soon, before she's off and running towards a section filled with soft looking toys. Tao's a bit out of his element and trying not to show it. It's hard not to be slightly intimidated by the sheer magnitude and unexpectedness of this library, compared to what he’s used to.

He tries to find a librarian or an information desk somewhere and nearly trips and falls as a group of kids go running past him, hands clutching books and faces flushed in excitement.

He hears laughter nearby of the adult variety and makes his way over, warily glancing around to see if any other kids are about to bum-rush him, keeping Olivia in his peripheral at all times.

The information desk in the children's section is shaped like a ring. Three women sit serenely on the inside, fingers clacking away on keyboards, and Tao is almost hesitant to interrupt them. He clears his throat apologetically and the woman in front of him jumps slightly.

"Hello," he says, smiling when she looks up at him. Her eyes widen slightly as they finally make their way up to his face and he chuckles, rubbing his nose. He doesn't want to be that guy, but he also doesn't know how to read the situation.

"Hello," she replies, and her voice is lower than he has been expecting. She's looking at him expectantly, air unhurried and patient, but she's clearly probably wondering what the fuck he wants since he's just staring at her. "Do you need some help?" she asks kindly.

Tao's not prone to shyness. Kyungsoo would call him a peacock, voice derisive and slightly mocking if Tao ever tried to play coy with him. But right now he feels it almost in his bones with the way she's looking at him. He's not trying to read too much into it because she's just trying to do her job and help a parent who's made their way into the room, but she's gorgeous.

Her lips curve, kittenish, smile a bit rueful. She has a row of piercings going down her left ear, and it makes him want to hum in appreciation. She's wearing black and pink frames, eyes done up in the sharpest wing he's ever seen outside of a photoshoot and he's vain enough to recognize the meticulous care that went into her makeup. 

When the silence stretches for far longer than is acceptable, he sees her smile start to flicker, but she's doing her best. It's the weirdest game of chicken, highly inappropriate, but he's struck stupid.

The woman gathers her hair and tosses it over her shoulder. "Sir, is there something I can help you with?" She's still polite, but her voice has a small edge to it, assessing him and probably finding him lacking. An embarrassment, probably. Fuck that.

He smiles his most charming smile but stays where he is, giving her space. "Hi, I wanted to inquire about a library card for my daughter."

The woman blinks, posture going a bit relaxed and turning to one of the other women who was undoubtedly watching the proceedings. The woman opens a drawer and hands the attendant a small card. "Could you please fill out this form with your child's information and then we can head to the laminating room and create her card."

She stands and hands him a piece of paper and a pen and Tao watches as she peeks at him from underneath her lashes when she thinks he's not looking. The other women are surreptitiously elbowing each other and it's slightly awkward.

They both laugh at the same time and look away.

Tao clears his throat and takes the pen and paper. "I'll do that," he says, and god, that sounds so stupid.

"Please come find me if you require any assistance," the woman says, sits down and smooths out the fabric of her shirt. Tao's hoping a little bit that maybe he's made an impression, worries that it might not have been the one he was aiming for.

He decides to play it cool. "Thanks," he says simply. He raps his knuckles on the desk and makes a decision. "And if I need your help, who should I ask for?"

There's the sound of someone trying to stifle exaggerated choking, soft, but he knows it's at his expense. Nonetheless, he soldiers on. If she's even the least bit interested, she'll let him know.

"Jongmi," she says. "You can ask for Jongmi."

He says, "Jongmi," and it sounds sweet on his tongue. It's hard to walk backwards and smile but he's doing his absolute best. It's been a while since he's felt so giddy, flushed with the understanding that the situation is kinda inappropriate, but Tao flourishes while breaking rules.

He turns smoothly and walks over to where Olivia's been drafted into a roundtable of older kids sharing stories. There's a young girl reading to her while Olivia sits serenely in her lap, occasionally laughing or making distressed noises when the story gets a bit too scary. She doesn't call out for him, for all intents and purposes seems to have forgotten that he's even there.

It doesn't hurt as much as he expected it would. His little girl is growing up and making friends without him. He tucks the paper into his back pocket for now and puts the pen behind his ear. His smile is wide when he sits down on the ground beside them.

"Daddy!" Olivia knocks the book out of her lap in her haste to run over to him and he gathers her up into his arms before he apologizes and thanks the young girl for keeping Olivia company.

"Are you having fun?" he asks Olivia. She nods her head once and begins to immediately introduce him to her new friends. They seem to all have the same variation of the name "girl" and "that one", but they don't seem to mind and any lingering discontent Tao has in the back of his mind fades away when Olivia parks herself on his thigh and starts a rousing game of counting numbers.  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

Before he knows it, autumn rears its ugly head and finds him slightly unprepared to deal with the crisp chill of rapidly dropping temperatures and an aggravated toddler. Olivia doesn't like the cold. She abhors being cold, and isn't afraid to let him--and everyone else in the immediate vicinity-- know.

They're already running incredibly late for preschool and Olivia's crying on the carpet in her bedroom. Her face is red and she shrieks in rage every time he tries to get close enough to get her dressed. She's naked, and he's worried she'll accidentally pee herself.

Tao stands with his hands on his hips and tries to remain calm.

Olivia hiccups loudly and frowns. She looks up at him and then bites her lip guiltily.

He groans. "Olivia!"

She whimpers and he allows himself one moment to show his annoyance before he bends to scoop her up, ignoring the giant wet spot on the carpet spreading quickly between the fibres.

"Shh, my big girl." They're already messy, but he figures at this point a bath is probably for the best. Like most children, Olivia loves playing in water, but actually getting her into the bath is always a struggle. Still, with the way she's so distressed, she clings to him and seems to be amiable enough, if only because she can't bring herself to do anything else.

"Sorry," she says, voice muffled from his chest, and he hears his mother's voice in his head extolling the virtues of patience and calm in the face of adversity.

He doubts this is what she really meant, but she did raise him after all.

He gets the tub as full as as he dares and sits Olivia gently in the water. Olivia sniffles quietly and sits while he soaps her up, rinses her with her favourite pink bucket. She protests when he moves to wash her hair but after a stern look, she relents, pouting the entire time.

He can't think of anything that might've set her off. They'd woken up at a normal time, and had had a quick breakfast before going upstairs to pick out clothes for school. Olivia had taken the garments from his hand and had thrown them on the ground, along with herself, and proceeded to scream bloody murder.

He's confused to say the least. They don't really have many off days and his level of expertise with this kind of mood is lacking. Still...

He makes sure he has her full attention. "Olivia," he says seriously, "please tell Daddy what's wrong? Don't you want to go to school? Don't you want to see your friends?"

He wonders if maybe there's something happening at school that he should know about. Immediately he starts assuming the worst, but Olivia just farts, jumping at the sound in the tub and then giggling to herself.

He blinks. "What the hell," he mutters. Kids. He hauls her out of the bath and gets the plug out so it can drain while he gets her dried off. As they get back to her room, he's reminded of the giant pee stain on the carpet. His temples throb steadily.

"Baby," he starts, waits for Olivia to stop trying to eat the towel. She spits it out and smiles at him cutely. "Don't try to distract me," he says and she laughs at him. "Are you going to tell me why you were crying? Are you sick? Does your tummy hurt?"

She shakes her head. He tries to work so that they can get her hair dried quickly. He doesn’t want her to get sick while he tries to get an answer out of her. "Why is my daughter so coy," he muses. Olivia blinks innocently and helps him pull her shirt over her head.

"Were you just sad that you had to go to school without me?" She nods. "But you go to school all the time by yourself. Aren't you a big girl?"

"Daddy's lonely when I'm gone," she says, completely serious, and Tao's hands falter for a moment. The impending clean-up spurs him into action once more despite his curiosity.

"What do you mean by that?" He's intrigued.

He leaves her on the bed, feet swinging while he rushes to grab her blow dryer and come back. She hasn't moved an inch and he breathes a small sigh of relief. “My friend says his mommy gets sad when he’s gone. You’re sad too, right, when I'm gone?” Tao hums thoughtfully and pulls her closer to him.

Drying her hair is oddly cathartic. Prone to near constant activity, this is one of the few times she behaves long enough for Tao to catch his breath. He appreciates that they can bond over this as well, as she also seems to take some comfort in the hum of the blow dryer, like white noise, seen as something positive combined with Tao's fingers smoothing and sliding through her hair.

Tao turns off the blow dryer and Olivia inhales noisily like she'd fallen asleep. He smiles, grabbing her comb, combing out any stray tangles and gathering her hair up into a ponytail. He points out her reflection in the vanity across from her bed and she squeals excitedly.

"I’m so pretty!" she crows and Tao laughs good-naturedly. "Yes you are," he agrees.

She hums thoughtfully. "Like a peacock," she says. Tao stares.

"Who told you that?" he asks and she tosses her hair over shoulder in a move so much like her mother that Tao's breathless for a moment once more. 

"Kyungsoo said you were a peacock."

He groans. Fucking Kyungsoo. "Then that makes you a peacock’s baby," he tells her and helps her down from the bed. The carpet's going to be a problem, he thinks. He doesn't really want to hire anyone, but he's not sure he has the capabilities to clean it. This is probably something Amy would be able to handle, he thinks wistfully. 

He hopes she's enjoying her vacation, but he misses her help.

After a quick Google and a few mocking texts to Kyungsoo later, he's got the puddle cleaned up and a healthy distrust of what was once a drying stain on the carpet. Olivia's in better spirits now, running around her room and singing to herself. He checks the time quickly and realizes that they don't have a hope in hell of making her preschool classes now.

He wracks his brain for things they could do this late in the morning, but then remembers that today's Thursday--story time's a viable option. If they leave right now they'll make it in time for Jongmi's first story of the afternoon in an hour.

"What do you think," he says, gathering her up into his arms. She laughs when he blows a raspberry on his neck. "Do you want to go see Jongmi today?" he asks her and fumbles to keep her from falling when she enthusiastically yells and tries to jump out of his arms.

She goes running out of the room and he suffers a mild heart attack panicking about hardwood floors and staircases before he follows hastily.

"I like her," Olivia sings and Tao laughs, nodding. "Me too."  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

The children's area is quiet. Quite a feat considering the nature of its purpose, but the only sounds Tao hears as he pushes open the large doors is the sound of children engrossed in Jongmi's melodious voice. She's sitting on the ground with a large group of children and parents in a semi circle and she has everyone's attention as she details the adventures of a Very Hungry Caterpillar that eats his way through life.

Olivia makes a distressed noise and whispers, "Daddy hurry," prompting Tao to get moving before Jongmi finishes the story. They fall to the back, taking a seat on the plush rug laid by the giant tree that's reserved for story time. Jongmi herself is propped against the trunk of the tree, hair down and completely focused on making sure everyone has ample time to see the illustrations.

She pauses before turning the page, eyes on Tao, and he gives her a shy smile, rubbing his nose and waving slightly. He sees her visibly gather herself, the curve of her lips the only thing betraying her before she turns the page and starts reading again.

Olivia's completely engrossed. She gasps at all the right times, claps along with Jongmi when she prompts the children to count along with her, and squeals in joy when the Very Hungry Caterpillar finally turns into a butterfly. "He was very hungry," Olivia says sagely and Tao nods.

They stay for the next story, moving up bit by bit when the other parents begin to leave to run their errands. Olivia sits riveted on Jongmi's every word, and Tao, if he were being completely honest with himself, is too.

Story time wraps with a group chant and a circle clap. Olivia starts to do the wave, prompting a few other children to mimic her until what's left of their ragtag team looks like they're holding a spontaneous dance off.

Tao and the other parents make charmed yet awkward conversation while they watch their kids break it down exuberantly. Jongmi watches fondly from her spot on a stump in front of the tree.

Tao excuses himself hastily. He almost, but not quite, walks calmly over to where Jongmi is sitting. She pauses when she sees him, eyes widening before she looks around, settling on him again in no small amount of shock.

He's got his hands in his pockets, the picture of nonchalance, when he says, "Hi," and smiles as charmingly as he can. Jongmi snorts loudly and unattractively.

"Are you for real right now," she wheezes and laughs at his face when he pouts at her.

She moves to stand up and he quickly gets beside her, offering her a hand up. Her eyebrows rise, but she takes pity on him and thanks him for his kindness. It makes him preen.

"So, I'm pleased to see that you made story time today," she says. Her hands immediately fly to her ear, fingers rubbing over the ring in her cartilage, and he can't help but just look at her, forwardness be damned.

He's a motherfucking peacock, after all.

"Yeah, we had to. I know you'd miss your favourite patrons. Actually, we had a bit of an accident this morning," he says. 

Jongmi makes a small noise. "Nothing serious, I hope."

Tao hums. "No, just a misunderstanding. My kid thinks I'm lonely when she's not around to keep me entertained."

He says it like it's a joke, but he's a bit concerned about it. Jongmi tilts her head in consideration. "There is a bit of truth to that, I think. Kids are incredibly simple with their reasoning, Tao. If Olivia goes to school and doesn't know that you have a life outside of her, to her, you will be lonely because she isn't there to play with you."

She begins walking to her desk, and Tao has no choice but to follow after her. He tries his best, but he's blatantly admiring the way her black stockings cling to her calves, the way she walks in those ridiculous heels of hers and he feels so intensely struck stupid by his crush all of a sudden.

He hears Kyungsoo's voice in the back of his head. "Danger! Be cool, you stupid fuck." Tao shakes his head rebelliously, skip in his step, and follows after Jongmi.

Jongmi sits in front of her computer, fingers moving quickly over the keyboard. Her nails are painted a lovely shade of berry red and she smiles beatifically at him when she notices his staring. "It's called 'Size Matters'."

"Does it?" he asks her cheekily and she purses her lips, tucks her hair behind her ear and replies, "Ask me on a date and you'll find out."

It's bold, bolder than what he was expecting, but unsurprising with what he's gleaned about Jongmi from all of his visits with Olivia (and unofficially, since he's hopeless). Jongmi is brash, slightly obnoxious, and incredibly kind.

She's also patient and caring, somehow working her way into the heart of his kid. Tao thinks they should at least be friends simply because Olivia needs more positive female influences in her life.

"Unless you want to continue bitching out like you've been doing for the past four months that you've been coming here." She whispers the last part and Tao's eye widen. He barks a laugh, helpless, and withers under the glare of one of the other librarians.

"We're in a children's section," he protests weakly and Jongmi hides her giggle behind a closed fist, clearing her throat loudly.

Jongmi hums, returns to her typing and Tao looks around to make sure that Olivia is behaving herself. She's playing Duck Duck Goose with a few children by the tree, enjoying herself immensely, and Tao's glad they came today. Even happier that Jongmi is in such a flirty mood and seems to be amiable to his advances.

He blows out a breath. "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Jongmi smiles. "Wow, don't hurt yourself there, stud."

Tao whines. "Be nice to me, fuck."

"Language!" One of the other librarians looks murderous, while the other is very clearly laughing behind the purse she's trying to search through. Even his mental Kyungsoo is rolling his eyes.

"Sorry," he mouths and then pouts at Jongmi. She rolls her eyes, but her lips quiver with a smile that she can't completely hide. "Yes," she says. "We can have dinner sometime this week."

His heart does a jump, skip, and a hop right in his chest and he tries to calm down. It'd be terrible if he made an orphan out of Olivia.

They exchange numbers under the distrustful eyes of the older librarian, and Tao manages a quick 'thanks!' before he hears Olivia scream "Daddy" and he suddenly has a child-sized barnacle attached to his person.

"Hello, Olivia," Jongmi sing-songs and Olivia screams, "Jommi!" before fussing to be picked up. Tao dutifully scoops her up and places her on the edge of the information desk, counter too high for little ones to climb without assistance.

"Jommi," Olivia says and it sounds so melodious, like even his child can't resist singing her praises. Her little mouth can’t pronounce it properly, but Olivia takes her time and does her best.

"Hello, sweet girl. How are you today? Are you being good for your papa?" Olivia nods her head emphatically, little body shaking, and Tao presses a steady hand against her back just in case.

"We're bonding," Olivia says in her grownup tone. It's the one she learned from Kyungsoo, the one she uses when she's saying Very Important Things and You Need To Pay Attention, Please.

Jongmi whistles. "Bonding, huh? Do you always have to take care of your dad and play with him?"

Olivia clasps her hand in her sweater and nods. "Daddy will get lonely if he doesn't have anyone to play with."

"Is that right," Jongmi grins and her teeth are sharp and gleaming. "Since we're friends, I could play with your dad and make sure he's not lonely." She says the words while looking right at Tao and Tao shivers. Goddamn, this woman.

Someone clears their throat from behind Jongmi and suddenly the older librarian is up and walking through the exit gap of the information desk.

"That's my cue," she sniffs, grabbing a cart full of books and walking away. Jongmi smirks at Tao before she shifts her attention back to Olivia, smile going less feral, warmer and appropriate for her audience.

Tao decides he's done distracting Jongmi enough for one day. "Come on, child. Let's go back home and get some food inside of you before nap-time." He swings Olivia around and up over his shoulder, bouncing her until her protests turn into laughter.

Jongmi watches them fondly. She stands and Tao turns so that Olivia can say goodbye properly.

"Bye, Jommi," Olivia whisper-yells and Tao turns to say goodbye to Jongmi.

"You better call me," she says, and Tao is gratified to see that, even momentarily, she looks about as nervous as he does.

He makes a finger gun gesture at her and walks--no struts--away.

"Daddy, can we get ice cream?" Olivia asks, incorrigible.  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

Tao's unwilling to get a babysitter for date night; not when he can bamboozle Kyungsoo and Kris into to taking care of Olivia while he chases his dreams for a second time.

"Baby girl!" Kris says and folds her knees underneath herself to squat down, tossing her bag to Kyungsoo and kicking her shoes off, before picking a shrieking Olivia and swinging her into the air.

"Please," Kyungsoo says loudly, ducking to avoid Olivia's feet while Kris swings her around. He throws his hands up in exasperation, but he's smiling while Kris dances with Olivia around the foyer.

Tao watches fondly from where he's sitting on the staircase. He hasn't moved because Kyungsoo has a key to his house and basically just let himself and his wife inside like they lived there.

"What the fuck are you looking at," Kyungsoo says, messing up Tao's hair and smirking at his whines. "You have to be nice to me," Tao whines and glares.

Kris is still dancing with Olivia in her arms. Olivia has her hands on Kris's face, pressing and pushing until Kris makes kissy faces, while singing, "auntie, auntie" to Kris.

"Why does your kid never call me uncle? She always calls me Kyungsoo."

Tao smirks. "She's asserting her dominance," he says and Kyungsoo snorts.

Kyungsoo's watching them play wistfully; probably not even aware that he's staring. It must be tough, Tao thinks, not being ready to have this type of discussion with your significant other. Tao slaps Kyungsoo lightly on the chest, bringing his attention back to him while Kris and Olivia head further into the house.

"Help me get ready?" Tao says and Kyungsoo shakes his head like he's coming out of a trance. "Yeah," Kyungsoo says. "Yeah, sorry."

They head up to Tao's room and Tao walks into his closet. Kyungsoo takes a seat on Tao's bed, immediately taking out his phone and scrolling away. Tao tosses the clothes that he thinks Kyungsoo will hate first. Kyungsoo looks up from his phone, says, "Skip black," and goes back to his phone.

"Thanks, Judas," Tao mutters and puts back the scoop neck tank top. He moves over to the reds, eyeing Kyungsoo warily, and squints in suspicion when Kyungsoo, not looking up from his phone, grunts and says, "That one."

"This one?" Tao looks around his red section, not entirely certain what Kyungsoo's selecting.

"The red sweater, second from the left, under the red button down section." Kyungsoo's phone beeps and he makes an amused noise. "Your daughter's selfie’s breaking part of the internet," he says. Tao grabs the sweater and heads over to see what Kyungsoo's talking about.

Kris's got several cute selfies with Olivia posted to her Instagram: _#godbaby #bonding with my favourite~~ #heartbreakers #whoneedsmen_. Kris's face is scrunched cutely. She's throwing a peace sign and Olivia is copying her. In another picture, they're kissing on the mouth and Tao's heart aches.

Kyungsoo shifts on the bed, looks like he has a lot to say and it's physically paining him.

"So," Kyungsoo says, about as delicately as a bull in a china shop. "This girl--not those pants, please." Tao slowly peels himself out of the leather pants he had diligently been trying to stuff his balls into. "This girl, like, she agreed to date you?"

“Of course she agreed to date me,” Tao says incredulously. “Though if you really want to have a grilling session, we could always talk about why you haven’t talked to Kris yet about having kids.” 

“That’s not a conversation we’re going to have right now,” Kyungsoo sniffs and Tao squares his jaw, bites his tongue. 

“Fine. Then let’s skip the passive aggressive interrogation techniques.”

“I’m just concerned about you, Tao,” Kyungsoo mutters and Tao nods to himself, distracted by his pants problems. 

“Me too.” Tao's leg is stuck in the leg of his pants, and he's hopping around trying to get it out while Kyungsoo laughs unhelpfully. That's how Kris and Olivia find him, bent over in his hot pink boxer briefs, trying to extract his leg from leather pants while Kyungsoo judges him silently.

"Yowza," Kris says, shifting Olivia higher on her hip. "Should I be concerned?"

Kyungsoo beckons her over. "He's just problem solving," he says. "Give him a moment." Kris takes a seat next to him on the bed, putting Olivia down on the ground so that she can be free to run around.

Tao finally yanks his foot free and turns, looks around for a pair of jeans that he's certain he threw somewhere--probably at Kyungsoo's head. "Daddy," Olivia says. Her voice is small and Tao turns immediately, concerned and prepared to pick her up if she starts crying.

"Yes, baby?" She blinks at his chest and then wrings her hands, unsure. "Did you get an owie?" She points at his nipples and Tao withers under Kyungsoo's dead-eyed stare and Kris' laughter.

"I'm fine, baby." He bends to scoop Olivia up, peppers her faces with kisses. She clings to him, arm wrapped around his neck. She's making soft whimpering noises like she doesn't believe him and Tao looks pleadingly at Kris.

Kris is leaning against Kyungsoo, looking like a besotted fool that’s too busy to help him, but Kyungsoo stares at Olivia. His eyes gleam with wonder and fondness. He jumps like he comes back to himself and Kris shoots him a questioning look. Tao looks away and pretends like he never saw anything.

He's gotten good at that over the years.

If Kris notices the mood--which she probably does--she does her best to ignore it, smile on her face huge and slightly smug when she looks Tao up and down. He's reminded of a large animal out for blood.

"I'm wondering when our baby became such a prude that even his own kid didn't know he had his nipples pierced."

"Nipples!" Olivia shrieks, and Kyungsoo's face does that thing it does whenever anyone but Tao does something amusing.

Tao covers Olivia's ear and presses her face to his chest hastily. "Shh!" He hisses and Kris doubles over in laughter. Olivia's struggling to get out from his hold, but Tao's not done glaring.

She lets out an angry yell and bites him harshly. Tao screams and Kris falls off the bed laughing. Tao looks at her in betrayal, sitting Olivia on the floor so fast he almost topples over, ass over tea kettle. He rubs furiously at his chest, groans in dismay when he finds a giant red mark blooming up and outward. It pulses to the beat of his heart and Tao feels like crying.

"That hurt more than getting my nipples pierced," he moans, and Kris is still rolling on the ground, tiny mouth open unattractively while she brays. Kyungsoo, as always, looks calm while he holds up his phone.

"Are you fucking recording this?!" Tao screams and Olivia, seemingly forgetting her previous distress, has crawled over to where Kris is now wheezing on the ground and is screaming, "Fucking! Fucking!"

"Everybody out!" Tao grumbles while rubbing his nipples. Olivia looks confused and slightly concerned when she's scooped up by Kyungsoo. His eyebrows are doing the Very Important Thing again and to Tao's dismay, Olivia's also doing the thing with him.

"Make sure she goes potty," he yells in frustration and spins to find a pair of pants that won't cut off the circulation to his balls.

Kris is still wheezing on the ground.  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

The first words out of his mouth when he drops into his seat across from Jongmi is, "I'm so sorry." His second, however, is, "Holy shit," and a small whine.

Jongmi sits across from him in all her finery and he feels woefully underdressed. She looks so much better in leather than he does. Tao's not sure if he should feel ashamed of how casual he kept his own state of dress, but he doesn't let it detract from how impressed he is. 

His eyes flit over her in bursts of admiration. He settles on the gold filigree looped through her piercings and how her hair has been pinned to one side tonight, artfully falling over her shoulders.

Christ. "You're so hot," he moans. Jongmi laughs, pleased, and Tao feels like dying in more ways than one.

"I'm glad you think so," she says. She takes a sip of her water and her lips are painted a deep red colour. It makes Tao hot in his pants and he shifts as subtly as he can. Jongmi's cheeks are slightly pink when their eyes meet and Tao can't stop smiling.

He resists the urge to lay his head on his cheek and stare at her, smitten. He's a grown man. With feelings.

Fuck, he really just likes her and doesn't want to embarrass himself.

He clears his throat. "I'm sorry," he says again. "Olivia was a bit reluctant to see me go. "

"New babysitter?" Jongmi asks curiously. Her fingers tap lightly on the table, coming closer and closer until she draws back slightly, hesitant. Tao's gratified to see that he’s not the only one that seems to be affected. It makes his chest puff up, gives him the boost to be a bit more confident. 

"No, her godparents usually babysit if it's very important." He removes his jacket and tucks it over his chair. He notes Jongmi's eyes following him steadily and when he's done, their legs bump under the table as she shifts and crosses her legs.

Tao knows what he looks like, who he is. He also knows that Jongmi is aware, and he likes that she isn't put off by his status, or the fact that there are people staring at them. They'd gone so far out of their way to choose a small shop where there'd be a modicum of privacy. 

Even though it was suggested by an industry friend and thoroughly vetted and checked by Kyungsoo and the security team, he still sees the flash of a camera phone from the corner of his eye.

Jongmi fiddles with her cartilage piercing, something Tao is quickly coming to understand is her tell for when she's slightly uncomfortable and nervous.

"Will you be okay?" He asks gently. He's concerned it might turn her off completely to hear herself talked about or analyzed by strangers. Her picture has already been spotted online by his PR team.

Jongmi blinks, eyes widening slightly before softening as her lips pull into a sweet smile. She shakes her head. "Kim Jongmi," she begins. "Born September twenty-first, nineteen-ninety-two, and the only girl in a family of three boys with varying ideas of what overprotective means. I come from a family of musicians, lawyers, doctors, and dancers. My best friend is one of the most recognized and accomplished lawyers for her age and won't hesitate to file on my behalf."

She takes a sip of of her water and Tao watches her chase her straw for a bit before she bites her lip and eyes him critically. "The question is: will _you_ be okay?"

Tao suddenly feels parched. He swallows and hears his throat click; it makes Jongmi's smile grow even wider. She pulls the straw out of her water and pushes it across the table to him.

"What's this for?" He furrows his brow, picks up the glass and takes a sip.

“Drink up," Jongmi says. She inspects her nails, observing him under the fan of her made-up eyes. "You look a bit thirsty."

Tao chugs the water.  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

Their date goes surprisingly well. Immediately after the cafe, he takes a chance and brings Jongmi to a jazz club where a few of his friends play. He hugs Luhan extra tight, suffers the embarrassing ribbing Luhan gives when he sees Tao and Jongmi walk into his club, hands clasped.

"Everything's on the house tonight," he tells Tao. To Jongmi, he smiles winningly and flicks his hair out of his face. Jongmi shoots Tao an incredulous look, but to Luhan she smiles charmingly and thanks him. She huffs a laugh when he bends to kiss her hand and Tao rolls his eyes.

Luhan straightens up and says, mostly to Jongmi's bosom, "If you need anything at all..." His words trail and Jongmi pulls her hand back graciously, surreptitiously wiping it under the pretence of switching her clutch to her other hand.

Luhan leads them up a flight of stairs and beyond the velvet rope, guarded by two burly guys that eye Jongmi. Tao's been here before, but she's an unknown factor. They'll be fine, Luhan assures them, before making his way back down the stairs.

Tao already knows that his men are here are as well, mingling with the crowd and refusing Luhan's offers to feed and water them while they're on the clock.

"I'm sorry about Luhan," Tao says, and takes Jongmi's jacket when she hands it to him.

"No, it's fine." She sits demurely, ankles crossed as she leans back into the plush seat of the couch. Tao sits as casually as he can manage. He leans back and stretches his arm out over the couch, but Jongmi snorts and pulls his arm down and around her.

She snuggles into his side and sighs contently. Tao, on the other hand, holds himself rigidly. A waitress comes by and takes their drink order. Her eyes skip over them with practised ease and she leaves, only to return a few minutes later with his jack and coke and Jongmi’s vodka cranberry and a glass of water. 

They drink in relative silence, enjoying the ambiance and the music in a secondary manner; their focus is mostly on each other. 

"Relax," Jongmi says.

"I just don't want you to think I'm going to push you for anything," he replies. Jongmi looks up at him. Tao's fingers smooth her hair and run through the heavy mass until he can touch her shoulder. She looks incredibly fond, and he releases a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

"You're cute," she says, casual and affectionate. She reaches up to touch his face and Tao's very aware of his breathing, the tightness of his pants, and just how close they're sitting. Her fingers settle on his mouth, tracing the curve of his lips, and he feels like a boy again; heart beating too quick and palms sweaty.

He bites at the pads of her fingers and sees her eyes go dark before he leans down and kisses her. She tastes incredibly sweet, corners of her mouth still slightly flecked with powdered sugar from the beignets they shared at the cafe. He sucks lightly, feels her fingers flutter over the curve of his bicep before sliding down to his thigh as he tilts his head and nips at her lip.

He pulls her closer until there's absolutely no space between them and Jongmi whimpers, presses her chest against him when he twists fully to shield her from any prying eyes. They're still in public and Tao knows better than this. He can only imagine how pissed Kyungsoo would be if anyone in the club managed to sneak a picture, but he's placing his faith in Luhan's staff to stop it before it happens.

Jongmi moans low in her chest, nips the cleft of his chin and presses her hand to his chest. She's trembling, but then again apparently so is he, and he feels light headed when she sucks on his tongue, breath tickling him slightly as she breathes through it all.

"We should stop," he says, pulling away reluctantly and Jongmi makes a small noise of disapproval. He seems to have accidentally pulled bits of her hair free from the pins and her mouth is puffy.

"Do you maybe want to go--"

"What?" Jongmi adjusts her hair, eyes him steadily. He swallows, shifts and tries to adjust his junk inconspicuously, but fails miserably. "Oh, no, I really want to stay. I've never been to a jazz club before and your friend was so nice."

Tao tries to will his disappointment away. He nods and Jongmi rolls her eyes, slapping his chest a bit harder than necessary. "Don't be stupid, Tao," she says. She smirks at him. "Of course I want to sneak off and fuck you."

"Jesus," he breathes, looks around hastily, concerned. Nobody's there to overhear but old habits die hard.

"I can't carry this relationship by myself," Jongmi sniffs and levers herself up, holding out a hand to drag him up. He bumps into her, chest to chest, and feels her breasts press against him. Her hand snakes down, palms the semi he's got forming. He really has no idea why he thought his nice librarian was a good girl.

"I'm tired of all this foreplay, babe," she whispers, tips just so to rest her hands on his shoulder until he's forced to hold her hips and press them closer so she doesn't fall. "Take me home."  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

Jongmi's moan as Tao presses her up against the door in her foyer is loud and incredibly satisfying. It goes straight to his dick, hips snapping once into her pelvis helplessly, and it makes Jongmi laugh breathlessly.

"I didn't think you had it in you," she admits quietly, fingers curled tightly in the skin of his arms while he presses kisses up her neck.

His hands slip slide over the material of her clothed ass and he growls in frustration. It's been so incredibly hard, this back and forth they've been having for almost an entire year. He's finally here and Jongmi tastes and feels so good, he'd be hard pressed to stop now. Doesn't want to.

"Jongmi, please." She pulls his head back by the roots of his hair and he hisses. Like this Jongmi looks like she's ready to ride him hard and put him away wet and Tao's not entirely sure he's ready. She cups his cock, filling slowly after having gone down a little bit on the ride to her home, runs her hand up and down to test the length of him.

"Bedroom," she whispers and presses a quick kiss to his lips. Tao backs off in increments, body twitching with reluctance and desire. Jongmi twists away when he tries to catch her, walks away with a look over her shoulder before she pulls off her jacket and tosses it on her sofa.

He follows her closely, eyes following the swing of her hips and the curve of her back as they make their way to her bedroom. She enters into the darkness and Tao slaps a hand on the wall near the doorway until he finds the switch and slides it up, bathing the room in low light.

Jongmi looks at him expectantly as she pulls pins out of her hair. She shakes her hair roughly and the way it frames her face makes her look dangerous. Her eyes are glittering in the low light and Tao can't get his own jacket off fast enough.

Jongmi sighs. "Do you have any fucking idea how badly I wanted to peel you out of those clothes while we were at the cafe?" She pulls her shirt up and over her head, dark hair cascading down over the tops of her breasts encased in black lace. 

Jongmi crosses the floor, gets her hand on the hemline of his sweater and pushes her hand under. The muscles of his abdomen jump, tighten as she scrapes her nails over his treasure trail and pops the button of his pants.

Jongmi looks up at him, eyes filled with a challenge he's ready to take on. She catches her lip with her teeth. "Red looks so good on you," she says. "It's almost a shame. " She trails off, pulls the zipper of his pants open and presses her hand down, down, down. Tao grunts. "Next time you can fuck me with it on. Your skin tone looks so nice in red, Tao."

When he kisses her she falters, takes a half step back. He grabs the hem of his sweater, tugs up until he can pull it clear off. Even if he has to dislodge Jongmi's mouth for a second, he smirks at her small gasp when he's finally bare to her.

"Only if you ride me wearing your employee lanyard," he says and Jongmi chuckles.

"Deal," she says and spins him, pushes him to sit on the edge of her bed. She tugs at his pants roughly, finally yanks them free with a triumphant yell, and Tao can't help but laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the role reversal.

He's had one night stands, quickies backstage or in clubs, even sex while in monogamous relationships that hasn't been nearly as exciting as this. Jongmi's enthusiasm is infectious, and if Tao's honest, just like everything about her, he's simply trying to play catch up.

She knee walks up to where he's laying on the bed, legs splayed wide and his cock clubbing nicely. Jongmi leans in, licks a stripe up the material of Tao's red boxer briefs and smirks.

"I appreciate the fact that you tried to coordinate your outfit," she hums.

"I like your lipstick," he blurts dumbly, and Jongmi smothers a laugh. His balls are touching her face, he marvels in wonder and amazement. 

Her fingers curl to peel his underwear down and he raises his hips to help her. "Thanks," Jongmi whispers, tossing Tao's underwear over her shoulders. She shifts on her knees and Tao sits up on his elbows to watch her work. "I'm hoping it won't smudge while I blow you."

Tao nods like he understands. Jongmi spreads his legs once more, fingers digging into the smooth flesh of his inner thighs and tipping his hips slightly. The first touch of her lips to his cock has it twitching against his abs. She presses a kiss to the head, lips parting to tongue the slit lightly.

She wraps a hand around his shaft, squeezes and pumps it firmly to help him along when her face dips down, nuzzles against his balls. Tao feels the press of her teeth against his sac and he shifts on his elbows.

He hisses when she pulls his balls into her mouth and falls back onto the bed with a groan. "Hang on," he says. He sounds a bit desperate, things already progressing faster than he thought and he doesn't think he can last as long as he wants. He doesn't want to embarrass himself. "Get up here."

Jongmi shuffles into a standing position. She waits for Tao to heave himself further up the bed, laying flat on his back and looking expectantly for her to get with the program. "Let me eat you out while you blow me," he says and Jongmi startles.

“Are you sure?” She asks. “I wasn’t--I mean, I wasn’t really expecting--” It's probably a testament to how taken aback Jongmi was that she was startled that he didn't just want her to blow him.

She pops the button of her pants, tits threatening to spill out over the cups of her bra and bouncing as she works her hips to get her pants off. Tao's mouth waters, wants to get his mouth on her tits, but first, her cunt. He patiently waits for her to pull her pants down shapely legs, then her underwear.

She hesitates at this part, fingers fiddling with the waistband of her underwear. "It's been a while," she confesses. "I wasn't really expecting to be a porn star tonight." She laughs lightly, rubs the side of her nose. "The carpet matches the drapes, and, um, they’re a bit dusty. There aren’t any hardwood floors."

"Jongmi," Tao murmurs. "Please shut the fuck up and sit on my face."

Jongmi laughs, loud as everything else she does, and pulls her panties down her legs, kicking them off carelessly. She moves to unclasp her bra but Tao stops her quickly. "Leave it for now, please," he pleads. Jongmi shrugs and makes her way over to the bed.

She climbs onto the bed and swings a leg over his chest. When she doesn't make a move to get closer, Tao rolls his eyes. He brings his hand down firmly on her ass and Jongmi hisses, bites his hip in retaliation and makes him yelp. He pulls her back roughly until that pussy is right where he wants it. Jongmi's thighs tremble when he presses his face to her pubic hair, breathing deep.

"Easy," he murmurs against her lips, and she slaps a hand against his thigh, the sharp sting making him wince. She's already so wet, and the way her hips are grinding her pussy against his face makes him purr in satisfaction.

Tao licks between her lips, tongue flicking back into his mouth so that he can taste her, and he groans when he feels her mouth on his cock. The room's a cacophony of sighs and slurping sounds. Tao feels his cock fatten, Jongmi tapping it against her lip and playing with him. He sucks on her clit meanly.

Jongmi jerks, arching her back and pressing her hips down. He feels her struggling to move and his arms fold over her ass, holding her still. Her frustration makes him chuckle between her folds and she trembles. A bit of wetness trickles out between them and Tao sacrifices his hold so he can use his hand to spread her wide. Seals his mouth over her entrance and presses his tongue in as deep as it will go.

Her walls clamp down on him and she's given up trying to suck him. She throws her hips back with more force, thighs squeezing against him and her ass pressing against his head until he's almost forced to take it. She's going to smother him if she doesn't stop, but Tao hopes he can make her come before it happens.

Jongmi's whimpers increase in pitch when he's finally able to work a finger into her pussy. He hears her mutter "fuck" against his dick, precome pearling on his cock before she swipes it away with a lazy drag of her tongue.

She presses kitten licks and kisses against the length of him and Tao twists his fingers hard, relishing in the long moan Jongmi gives as she shudders, breasts pressing into his pelvis. He's got wetness all over his face, fingers squelching when he presses another finger in. 

He curls his fingers, presses down and pulls slightly and it makes Jongmi jerk in surprise, a low, "Oh fuck," whimpered into his thigh as she hangs on breathlessly. Tao repeats the motion, fingers pressing and rubbing insistently while he presses his teeth to her clit, worries his lips against it and sucks along to the loud slap-slap-slap of Jongmi's thighs.

Tao hears her choke out his name, cock sticking to her face as she pants before she presses her forehead into his thigh and comes over Tao's face. Jongmi rolls off of him and splays out on the bed, breasts heaving as she whines and tries to catch her breath. She rubs a hand over her face, laughter a little incredulous, and tries to sit up.

"I need to get this fucking thing off," she growls, already yanking at the straps of her bra. Tao bats her hands away. His hand is still wet when he slides the straps of her bra down her shoulder, skin bare and bronze in the white light of her room. He reaches back, unclasps the hooks and slides his hands under the cups of her bra.

"May I?" he asks and Jongmi sucks a breath in, mouth trembling before she nods. His hands are steadier than he feels when he cups his hand over her breasts. She moves to help him slide it off quicker, but Tao's not having it. He grabs her hips, pulls her to sit on his lap, ignoring the shriek of surprise she lets out and finally pulls the bra the rest of the way off her arms with his teeth.

The skin of Jongmi's breasts is so soft, tits more than a handful, and weighty in his hand. He presses his face into her cleavage and feels Jongmi wrap her arms around him, pressing kisses to his forehead and the side of his face.

He tips his mouth up for a kiss and she indulges him, tongue sneaking in to taste herself, and Tao feels her moan reverberate through his entire body. He hopes she enjoys the taste almost as much as he does.

He sighs and Jongmi pulls him closer. Her lips close over his earring and her hair slides down over his shoulder. "How do you feel?" he asks. Jongmi arches, spreads her arm wide and stretches until her back pops. Tao's hand settles on her hips and it makes her chuckle when he petulantly pulls her chest back close to him. He wants those tits in his face at all times.

"I'm alright. I feel great." Jongmi hums and untangles her legs from around his hips. Her skin looks flushed, and he's proud of the way she seems to be shaky on her feet as she walks over to the night table.

She opens the drawer and pulls out a bottle of lube and two boxes of condoms. Tao looks at her incredulously. Jongmi slides back onto the bed, crossing her legs across from him. She shifts her hair out of her face and smiles sheepishly. "I didn't know what size you wore, so I bought a bit of everything. Surprise!"

Tao laughs and Jongmi huffs, grabs the bottle of lube and thrusts it at him. "Cherry?" Tao's never tried flavoured lubes before. He's a bit ashamed at how adventurous he actually isn't, and wonders if maybe Jongmi will have to adjust her expectations; if he will need to adjust his.

"I like the taste," she says simply. "And they don't harm any of my toys or--" her breath catches, "I've said too much. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tao rifles through the boxes of condoms until he finds one and squints to read over the label. Jongmi clears the boxes off the bed and returns, kneels in front of him. Tao places a kiss to the mounds of her breasts. "How do you want me?"

Jongmi scoots back from him. She arranges herself back onto her pillows, spreads her legs. "Come here, Tao."

She beckons him and he crawls over to where she is. He runs his hand over her foot, traces the delicate set of her ankle until he can pick her leg up. Jongmi watches him from over the tops of her breasts, chest rising and falling with patience, curious as Tao drags his lips up the inside of her thigh.

She moans when he leans down and presses a kiss to her entrance. Tao's eyes close and he rests his head against her thigh. His fingers spread her in order to dip in, test how tight she is, how sensitive. She trembles, her stomach quivering with how tightly she holds herself in the effort to watch him carefully.

"Does it hurt?" His fingers spread slightly and he feels the resistance of her pussy still clenching from her orgasm.

"I can take it," she says, and Tao withdraws his fingers. He pops them into his mouth absently and Jongmi whispers his name, watching him tear the condom wrapper and wrangle the condom out to roll over his cock.

The cherry lube is a bit of a pickle. Tao's slightly suspicious of it and pouts when Jongmi laughs at him, taking it from his hands to apply it herself. Her hands work quickly and efficiently, fingers giving him a teasing squeeze and Tao feels it all the way up and down his spine.

He catches her thighs in his hands, pulls until she's sliding down from the mess of pillows and chuckles at the squeak she gives in surprise. "Hold on," he says, and Jongmi gets a hand around his neck, pulls him down to her lips for a quick kiss before he fucks in.

Jongmi's mouth goes slack. Tao curses, holds himself steady while he pushes in increments, pulls out and thrusts shallowly. It's almost too hot, too hard for him to get deep enough and he growls in frustration. Jongmi's whimpering, head tossed to the side, and she's biting at the skin of her arm.

Tao hikes her leg up over his thigh and he feels her lock her legs behind him. She sighs, and Tao feels a bit of resistance melt away. He sinks further and pulls out, presses in steadily until he's got the entire length of his cock inside of her.

"Holy Jesus," Jongmi murmurs and licks the sweat off her top lip. He brushes the hair out of her face and she blinks up at him.

"You still with me?" he asks and Jongmi nods slightly off beat. He's already really close, but he's ready to do his best and make it good for Jongmi. He wants her to remember him, and hopefully enjoy herself enough to want to see him again. She sighs and it spurs him into action.

He keeps his thrusts sharp, shifting to get as deep as he can. His lips skim the underside of Jongmi's breast with every slide and he leans down, presses his teeth into the flesh and hears her whine. 

She moans on a particularly clever grind of his hips, hands reaching out to scrabble along the top of her headboard, fingers clenched white knuckled to hold on tight while he rides her. “Fuck, you feel so good,” she whines, voice pitched and increasing with every thrust until she goes silent, mouth open in pleasure. 

"I'm really close, Jongmi," Tao says, pants his exertion into her mouth. She bites at his jaw, swivels her hips and keens when he stutter-fucks his hips into her in tandem. His lower back and thighs are killing him. Jongmi smooths a hand over his face, licks the sweat from his temples and kisses him deeply.

Jongmi clenches, and her walls go impossibly tight around him. Tao chokes on a moan, ass flexing as he ruts and whines, fingers digging into the flesh of her ass. Her nails dig into his shoulder blades, using them as leverage to fuck down against him.

"Tao," she croons, his name stuttering out when he slams hard into her.

"Zitao," he says firmly, feels his spine snap straight when she whimpers his name. He buries his face in her chest, lipping at the swell of them until his mouth finds one of her nipples. Tao bites down gently, feels Jongmi shudder and arch up. Bites harder and her cunt flutters around his cock before squeezing so tight it makes Tao breathless.

“Harder, please. Slap it.” He brings his hand down, slaps once, twice, cups her breasts in his palms and rubs the blood flowing red until the skin underneath his palms is warm, burning. Jongmi hiccups with every thrust, chants, “fuck me fuck me fuck me fuck” until it swirls in Tao’s brain, a marquee blinking and sliding to the rhythm of the headboard slamming against the wall. 

She pulls him down to her by his ear, voice scratchy and brutal. “Next time we do this, I want you to fuck me until I squirt all over your dick. Come for me, Zitao," Jongmi says and Tao feels like his spine's melting and leaking through his dick. He jerks in the condom, still inside of her, and Jongmi wraps herself around him even more, clinging to feel him lose it from the inside out. He goes boneless, dropping into her, and she hisses at the additional weight. 

Jongmi doesn't let him go, even when he shivers and makes desperate noises at her milking his cock to oversensitivity. 

"Fuck, Jongmi." Tao can't feel his toes. Jongmi's pressing kisses to his sweaty face, running her hand gently through his hair and making comforting noises against his face. 

"You did so well, Zitao," she says. "I feel so good, baby, thank you." 

They share dessert by the light of the kitchen fridge. Jongmi wraps them together in her duvet and Tao pulls her onto his lap where he's sitting on the kitchen floor.

"So this is nice," Jongmi says, and Tao hums, licks the sweetness of mango sorbet from the corner of her lips and sticky fingers, suckles the cold from her breasts when she trails her spoon for him to follow. It makes her smile and she smacks a kiss on his lips, loud and obnoxious, making him laugh into her hair. 

"Should we do it again soon?" He opens his mouth obediently and Jongmi shivers at the look he gives her, curling his tongue back into his mouth. His adam's apple bobs as his throat works to swallow and Jongmi presses a kiss to it. “Maybe I should get these pierced too,” she muses and Tao hums happily.

"Do you have to go?" Jongmi asks and shoves a spoonful of sorbet into her mouth. Tao thinks she'd be playing with her piercing right now if he didn't have her occupied.

He pretends to think carefully, jumps when Jongmi slaps with the spoon against his nipple. It makes him groan and she smirks. "I'm not expected back home for the night," he says seriously and Jongmi grins.

"Perfect," she grins and suddenly Tao's being pressed back into the floor. The tiles are cold on his back, but he shivers as Jongmi spreads sorbet over his chest. His nipples tighten and pebble immediately. "Let's make the most of it, yeah? I bet I can make you come from playing with your piercings."

"I'll give you ten minutes," Tao says, "and then I'm taking matters into my own hands."

"Deal," Jongmi murmurs as she takes his nipple ring into her mouth and _tugs_.  
  
  
  
  
  


❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

 

 

 

_Epilogue, some months later_

"Happy birthday, Olivia," Kyungsoo yells in an uncharacteristic display of public emotion. Kris throws Tao a significant look when Tao snorts and he smothers his laugh into the biggest piece of cake he's ever seen. Jongmi shoots him a wink from where she and Kris are dishing up cake to a line of well behaved children and parents.

Olivia runs around in near hysterical exuberance, pleased as punch and informing anyone that doesn't already know that It's Her Birthday™ and that she's a big girl now. "I'm a grownup," she tells Kyungsoo when he swings her up into his arms. Her eyebrows are doing the serious thing again and Kyungsoo adopts an appropriate and equally serious expression.

"Does this mean I can't call you my baby anymore?" He frowns exaggeratedly and Tao hears Kris grumble, 'He said the same thing to me just yesterday,' before she and Jongmi dissolve into inappropriate giggling.

Olivia shakes her head, her pigtails flying every which way and slapping Kyungsoo in the face. "I'm still your baby, uncle Kyungsoo," she says and Kyungsoo's face lights up. His smile spurs Olivia into a shrieking laughter. She stuffs almost half of her birthday dress into her mouth and sways in his arms serenely.

"You owe me ten bucks," Jongmi whispers in his ear as she dances past him to deliver slices of cake and napkins to a few people who didn't make the line. On her way back, she slides into his space, presses her chest into his side and scoops some of the frosting of his cake onto her finger. "I'll let you pay me back in other ways if you're a bit short." She pops her finger into her mouth, lips pulling into a smirk when he hisses "Babe."

"Keep it in your pants, peacock," Luhan mutters on his way to the patio with a tray of meat, and Tao chokes.

"Does everyone know about this?!"

Jongmi presses a finger to his lips, kisses it instead to keep everything PG. She makes her way over to Kyungsoo, hands spreading wide, and Olivia flings herself into Jongmi's arms.

"Jommi," Olivia croons and Jongmi wraps her up into a hug, peppering Olivia's face with kisses and fingering the tendrils of her baby-soft hair. Kyungsoo slides up beside him and Tao eats his cake sedately, happy and surrounded by people he and Jongmi both care about. His eyes stray to where Amy is playing a rambunctious dinosaur to a group of squealing children.

"So are you ever planning to come off hiatus?" Kyungsoo asks him. His hands are filled with his own cake and he eats slowly, licks icing off his fingers while watching Kris wipe a child's face clean.

Tao hums. "Probably not. I had actually planned to retire four times, just like Jay-Z, but we'll see what happens." 

"Kris and I have been talking about starting a family. We’re thinking of adopting." Kyungsoo says. His eyes go wide and he clears his throat. Tao freezes with a forkful of cake halfway to his mouth.

"Kyungsoo," he breathes. "I'm so proud of you."

"She's really excited, Tao." Kyungsoo's eating his cake diligently, but Tao can tell he's feeling really good about his admission. "I'm really excited."

Tao claps a hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder and they share an enthusiastic half hug and make their way outside. Tao's backyard been decorated with everything a child could possibly want, looking like Toys "R" Us threw up everywhere after a weekend bender.

He makes his way over to Jongmi and Olivia, presses a kiss to each of their cheeks in turn and feels his heart balloon in his chest from happiness. He spies Kyungsoo doing the same to Kris, taking her hand and leading her over to them.

"I love you," he tells Jongmi and she blinks at him in surprise. Her face softens completely in pleasure and her eyes shine suspiciously behind her glasses, going liquid and black; her smile marmalade sweet and just for him.

"You're not too bad yourself, stud," she says with a shaky voice and takes his hand; presses kisses to his fingers. She’s shaking, Tao notes, and the edge of his grin pulls up nice and wide in answer.

Olivia leans over impatiently. "Me too! Me too!" Jongmi laughs and takes Olivia's hand in her own to press kisses to it. Tao joins in soon enough and Olivia's back to giggling shyly and pressing her face into Jongmi's neck.

"This is so lovely," Jongmi sighs. Around them, children shriek and conversation flows between adults. The barbecue flames up and Luhan ducks behind a potted plant, looking around quickly to see if anyone noticed. "I need to enjoy this before your fans try to kill me."

Kyungsoo chuckles to himself and Kris whistles, mouth stretching into an amused smirk. Tao hisses and chokes on his inhalation. "Jongmi!"

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
